


Shield Marks

by QueenBee4Ever



Series: Shield Marks [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-10
Updated: 2014-01-14
Packaged: 2018-01-04 07:07:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1078026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenBee4Ever/pseuds/QueenBee4Ever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>5 and 1 - All the Avengers have tattoos of Captain America's shield - except Steve. All he has is embarrassment, and other feelings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hawkeye

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [1796 Broadway](https://archiveofourown.org/works/972937) by [rainproof](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainproof/pseuds/rainproof), [teaberryblue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/teaberryblue/pseuds/teaberryblue). 



> I've decided to call this finished. These 6 chapters fit together effectively as a complete story, and while I have a couple more shorts for characters with Shield tattoos, I feel they'll work best as part of a Shield Marks series.
> 
> Thank you all for reading!

Hawkeye went backwards off his perch, shooting the giant mutant flying squirrel in the eye on the way down. Just another day in the life of an Avenger - Hawkeye throwing himself off a building to get his shot. Getting caught by a teammate is the optimal outcome for this maneuver. He has a ranking system for his landings - Thor's catches are the best. Iron Man always manages to catch Hawkeye in a bridal carry, but that's not as bad as the Hulk. The big guy tends to treat Hawkeye like a giant teddy bear, and carry him around by whichever limb was closest. Today, however, was a dumpster day. Bottom of the barrel for decent landings.

"Hawkeye, status?"

"I'm fine, Widow. Today's dumpster was like a feather bed or something."

"Good. Nice shot - we're clear. Return to base for debrief." 

Clint flipped out of the dumpster, when he heard a tearing noise.

"Aw, pants. No."

His pants and boxers were now torn wide, leaving his ass air conditioned. Fortunately, nobody was around - the last thing the Avengers needed was a viral photo of Clint's behind hanging out of his pants. Clint made his way back to the SHIELD command center to grab his backup uniform pants, when Captain America came striding up behind him. When Clint turned to return his greeting, he caught the quizzical look on Cap's face - followed by a blush. What the…

"Hawkeye, nice shooting today. I'm just going to… um… change."

And, there went Captain America, leaving Clint open-mouthed behind him. Belatedly, the realization dawned. Clint knows what Steve caught a glimpse of - that tattoo. 

Steve avoided Clint for the rest of the day, first by getting dragged into a discussion with Stark and Fury (sane people run from the room when those two start going at each other - Steve walked toward them, then at the post-battle dinner he was deep in conversation with Nat the battle strategy. Clint tried to catch his eye to have a quick chat, clear the air, but Steve was determined to avoid contact. 

Clint could understand. He hadn't thought much about his tattoo in a while - really, not since they lost Phil. And, he could completely understand how it could weird Steve out a bit. The hero worship around Captain America was hard enough to encounter in a civilian, but on a teammate was something else. Clint sighed. He just hoped he could straighten this out soon.

It took a couple days of Clint lurking in the tower air ducts to catch Steve alone in the kitchen. 

"Hey, Steve. About my tattoo."

Steve jumped, and stammered, "Clint… yeah, no explanation necessary. I understand." while he blushed hard, and looked like he was ready to walk through the wall to get away from this conversation. 

"No. Don't leave. Its not really…. OK. Yeah, I have a tattoo of your shield on my ass. But, you gotta hear the story. Sit."

Steve sat, but hid his head in his hands. "I just… yeah, overreacted. Its my shield, I'm not used to seeing it, um. Around" 

Clint closed his eyes. "Its not like that. Well, it is, but its not. Just, well. Shit.."

He took a deep breath.

"So, Steve. You know what I did before I joined SHIELD. After the circus, I sold my bow - assassinations, bodyguard work, whatever. I was good enough to pick and choose my targets, only bad guys, but I was not on the side of the angels. 

"Coulson found me, recruited me. Helped straighten me out. He was the best. I would have been dead in a gutter years ago if it wasn't for him. He was the guy all the juniors idolized. And, he idolized you. Well, Captain America you.

"There's a story that gets passed around the new agents, about the reason we're called SHIELD. I don't know if the agency was named as a tribute to Captain America and your shield, but any agent trained by Phil would have given it good odds - and that Phil Coulson was at SHIELD because it was the closest he could come living up to your example.

"Phil had a tattoo of your shield too. His was on his back. Left side, covering his heart from behind. Said it made him feel like you had his back as he saved the world from itself. Fuck, Loki's staff cut right through it. Damn."

Clint fell silent. Steve looked up, and waited for him to continue, compassion in his blue eyes.

Clint cleared his throat. "Yeah. So, its early days, I've got a few missions behind me, I've already pissed off a few handlers, SHIELD and I are not meshing well. I'm about ready to walk. Fury reads me the riot act, and then sends me out with his best agent. Phil. He helped me find my footing.

"Phil was the best in the field. He always had a plan, and he was always calm. I tried for years to rattle him on comms. Never worked." 

Clint sighed.

"So, this mission. I'm in my perch, watching for a the head of a child trafficking ring. Nasty piece of work. We've got the warehouse with the kids under surveillance, but we need to try to get head guy out of the way before we can raid the building. Somehow he catches wind of what's up, and tries for a hostage situation. I throw myself off the roof, and shoot him in the balls. Its the first time I risk myself getting the shot - and I end up taking a bullet in my ass for my troubles. And a concussion - I missed the dumpster I aimed to land in.

"When I woke in medical, I was laying on my stomach with stitches in my ass and Phil's there, working on paperwork. Tells me that Sitwell came in, drew a Captain America shield on my bandages, calling my ass their new Shield. After I stopped laughing, Phil told me I had saved the kids. All those kids. The target spilled his guts, and we cracked the ring wide open. He said I was a hero. 

"No one had ever called me a hero before. Me, Clint Barton, orphan, carnie, mercenary. A hero. Who woulda thunk it?"

Clint looked away. "After I healed, I… needed to remember. I decided to have your shield tattooed over my bullet wound. I told Coulson it was a symbol of all that was wrong with me being a hero. But, really, it reminded me that anyone could be a hero. You just need to have something to believe in. And someone to believe in you. 

Clint took a deep breath. "Sorry if it …bothers you, but…"

Steve grabbed Clint's shoulder. "I'm honored. Thank you". They spent a moment in silence, comfortable.

Clint suddenly cracked a grin. "You know, I'm not the only Shield agent with a Captain America tattoo…" 

Steve gave him a blank look, then groaned.


	2. Bruce

"…I just don't get it. Soldier, sailors get tattoos. Most everyone in the army had a tattoo - Bucky had a couple. Not businessmen. And I'm really not used to dames - women - wanting to mark themselves up like that."

Steve sat with Bruce in Bruce's favorite cafe, sipping tea and watching the passersby. Ever since Clint told Steve about his tattoo, and that many agents had Captain America tattoos, he'd been hyperaware of the body art around him. He took the male tattoos mostly in stride, but seeing women tattooed reminded him of a Tattooed Lady in a freak show.

Bruce took a sip of tea, and said softly "I can only suppose attitudes toward tattooing have changed in the interim. Its not seen as much of a mark of deviancy, more of a personal form of expression. As an artist, don't you find some of them beautiful?" 

Steve shook his head. "I guess I'm not used to being the subject of tattoos. The flag, sure. Lots of fellas had flag tattoos. Or a pretty girl. But not Captain America, or my shield."

Bruce seemed to be considering saying something else. He took another sip of tea, and looked off into the distance. 

"Steve, I had a tattoo of your shield once"

Steve looked sharply at Bruce. This was not what he expected. 

"I was working, well on the super soldier serum, not that it was that clear. Bio-Tech Force Enhancement, initially trying to bioengineer radiation protection for soldiers. Before it went bad, it seemed to be military research at its best, for the best. We thought we were going to be the best military research team since, well, Erskine and Stark." 

Bruce paused, giving Steve a sheepish look. At Steve's nod, Bruce cleared his throat and continued.

"Anyway, we had gotten some promising results, and a bunch of us hit the bar to celebrate. We were going to be protecting generations of soldiers. Ross was there, and he spoke more freely than usual - the alcohol and excitement got to him. I realized that the research - my research - could have more implications than protection. I was arrogant enough to think I could keep it contained, focus only on protection. That weekend, I had your shield tattooed on my arm. Protection. A shield, not a sword. Betty loved it.”

Steve looked puzzled. "Bruce, I've seen you shirtless. I've never seen that tattoo.”

Bruce was looking back into the past, not seeing anything around him.

"After I first transformed back from the Hulk, it was gone. Other than that, my body looked the same - I still had my scars, my flaws, but something about the Hulk transformation erased the tattoo. I thought it was fitting, as the Hulk was not a hero - just a rage monster, who hurt people around him. Hurt Betty. Not even a sword, just a blunt instrument of chaos." Bruce fell silent.

Steve let him reminisce a moment, then said sharply “Bruce.”

“That was how the Hulk was. You’re better than that now, you’ve got control. The Hulk is a weapon, yes, but also a shield. Just like me. I’m glad you’re both here.”

They sat and drank their tea in silence for a while.

Then Steve asked plantively “But why **do** women get tattooed? I just don’t get it.”

“Ask Natasha”

Steve stared. “Does she…”

Bruce blushed. “I’m not sure I want to say. But she can explain. Talk to her”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. I now know more about tattooing in the 30s and 40s than I did before. Did you realize that there was a huge patriotic tattooing renaissance in the 40s? After the introduction of better tattooing devices? And, Coney Island was a center for that? I didn't EITHER. 
> 
> What I found fascinating, but couldn't work into the chapter here - when social security numbers were first introduced, there were large numbers of people getting theirs tattooed on their arms or legs.
> 
> Thank you everyone who has read, commented, and kudoed. I love the feedback!


	3. Natasha

After Bruce’s chat with Steve, Natasha did not immediately allow an opportunity for the super soldier to bring up the subject with her. She wanted the upper hand in this conversation, so she waited for the right time and place. There was only so much she was willing to say, even to Steve. Especially to Steve.

She gathered intel. Over the next few days, Steve used his boyish charm to get various SHIELD agents talking about their tattoos. She knew most of these stories, but watching Steve listen and piece together information was enlightening. It was easy to forget that the serum had done more than increase his strength and stamina - it had increased his memory and evaluative skills. He truly excelled at the friendly interrogation.

People loved to talk to him. He cared about them, their stories. His sincerity shone from his face as he listened. He got Agent May to talk about her phoenix tattoo. He listened to Dr. Strauss tell the story behind the quote tattooed around her wrist - even Natasha didn’t know that bit of history. Agent Sitwell told him stories about his Navy days after getting Jasper to show off his horribly cliché anchor tattoo. 

And Steve listened to many stories about why people had Captain America tattoos - some as a reminder. Others are a promise. Many symbolize a vow, to themselves or others. There are those that would be best described as a prayer. 

And, some, like Natasha’s, are a declaration. Much like Agent May’s, Natasha’s tattoo symbolizes change, a new beginning from the ashes of the old. From Red Room operative to SHIELD agent to Avenger, her path has had many twists and turns. As a young girl in Russia, she could never have predicted she would be on a team with Captain America. 

After a couple weeks of observation, Natasha waylays Steve after a briefing at SHIELD headquarters. 

“Captain. You have developed an interest in people’s tattoos.”

Steve calmly met her gaze, “Yes, ma’am. After talking to Barton about his tattoo, I learned that Captain America, and my shield, has become a common tattoo subject. It ... surprised me, so I was finding out more.”

He paused. “Bruce recommended I talk to you about tattoos. I have heard a lot of stories, but…”

Steve seemed to be at a loss for words. 

Natasha takes pity on him. “Yes, Steve. I have a tattoo. Like others, my reason was simple, but complex - my tattoo is a declaration that I claim possession of my self.”

Steve looked puzzled, but nodded to her to go on. Natasha continued.

“When I graduated from the Red Room, they marked me. My trainer chose the design, the location. I had no choice, no input. All of their marks were small, in easily concealed locations. Those with the information could use the marks to help identify us as part of the Red Room. It was a branding, a mark of ownership.

“When I came to SHIELD, I had new choices. In many things, along with the fate of their mark on me. I could leave it there. I could have it removed, or I could alter it.

Natasha turned her head and lifted her hair to show Steve the area behind her left ear. There, hidden in her scarlet hair, was a small outline tattoo of Captain America’s shield.

“Their mark was a red star. I recolored it, and added the rings to symbolize your shield. This is now my mark of defiance against my training - that I have taken the mark of America onto myself. They do not own me anymore.”

“It sits where I can touch it when I’m on comms. Sometimes, during a mission, I forget myself. My mark, your shield helps anchor me, remind me of who I have become.”

Natasha stopped there. She paused, gave Steve a penetrating look. Satisfied with what she saw there, she gave the Captain a sharp nod, and left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for reading! I hope you are all enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it.


	4. Thor

“Shield brother!”

Steve winced slightly as Thor’s voice boomed in the mobile command trailer. The Avengers had just finished fighting mutant, ravenous slugs determined to level London, thus bringing the fight to Thor’s doorstep. Steve was happy, no major injuries and he just preferred battles where the whole team fought together. 

“Captain! Have you a moment?”

“Sure, Thor. Has Tony decided where we’re having dinner yet?”

“I have not yet heard the Man of Iron choose a destination for tonight’s repast. However, that is not what I searched you out to talk about.

“As you may know, the Lady Natasha and I have been communicating through the Midgardian magic of Skype, as well as trading electronic missives. She told me of your recent fascination with the Hílf-marks of the warriors of SHIELD.”

“Hílf-marks?”, Steve asked.

“Ah, yes, Shield-marks. You would call them tattoos. Such a strange word. On Asgard, Hílf-marks are summoned when warriors are bound together by stronger than usual ties. I now realize that I am not the only one carrying the mark of your shield - that all the Avengers are marked in some way -body or soul!

Steve was speechless.

Thor unbuckled his right bracer. “Look closely.”

Encircling Thor’s right wrist was an intricate tracing of lines. When Steve focused on the decoration, he noticed a depth to it that normal Earth tattoos lacked. There was a sense of power and motion that he had never seen before. Entwined in a sharp, almost vine-line pattern were various sigils, shining like jewels.

“Beautiful” Steve sighed, and leaned closer in to examine the marks in detail.

“Yes. Bound in a representation of my lightning, you see there the marks of the Warriors Three - Asgardians would recognize their runes. There is Lady Sif’s - a sword through her runemark. After my first visit to Midgard, I gained Jane’s mark - the sign of the Bifrost and stars combined.

“After the Battle of New York and my return to Asgard, I found that I had gained more marks. The Man of Iron’s light. A green fist for friend Hulk. A red spider. A bow and arrow. And your shield. 

Steve looked up at Thor. “Gained? How is are your tattoos applied?”

Thor seemed to be choosing words carefully. “These marks are mystical - I cannot say how they appear, but they have great meaning for my people. When I received the sigiIs of the Avengers, I knew that I would return, and rejoin our mighty band of warriors here on Midgard.”

While Thor was talking, Steve noticed one mark that seemed smeared. Thor frowned.

“That is Loki’s mark. We are brothers but also were shield brothers for a long time. That the mark is only blurred and not gone gives me hope that he is not entirely lost to me, to us.” The light in Thor’s eyes dimmed, as it always did when he spoke of his lost brother. 

Thor shook off his melancholy. “Thank you Captain for your attention. I am honored to be an Avenger with you, and the rest of our band. Come, let us find a proper meal!”

Steve followed Thor out of the trailer looking for the rest of the team. As he came into the daylight, Steve came to a sudden halt.

“Thor, what do you mean ALL the Avengers have shield tattoos?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thor kicked my butt. Hope you like it!


	5. Tony

Tony wandered into the kitchen to find something to eat. He had spent the last few days holed up in his workshop, but there was only so long he could subsist on green smoothies and coffee. It was dark on the common floor, Tony noted absently, still deep in create mode.. Everyone else must be in bed.

As he opened the refrigerator to grab some leftovers, a voice came from the darkened living area.

“Hi, Tony.”

“Shit, Rogers, you scared years off me. What the fuck are you doing sitting alone the dark?”

“Thinking, mostly. Kinda hoping to catch you when you emerged. You’ve been avoiding me.” 

“Aww, Capsicle, you wound me. I’ve been busy. Very busy. Had to fix the armor, and then there’s the stuff I’m doing with the things for SI, so Pepper doesn’t kill me, that’s all. And, I’ve got to get back to it. No rest for the wicked.” Tony grabbed a Chinese takeout container quickly, and turned to escape back down to his workshop. Tony mentally winced. Not escape - return. Because he’s not avoiding the good Captain - he is waiting for Steve’s voyage of tattoo discovery to be over. He’s missed seeing Steve the last couple days - he’s gotten used to talking to him regularly. Tony’s self-imposed silence has been stretched to the limit. Yep, he’s got it bad. Which is why he doesn’t really want to have this conversation. 

“Sure, Tony.” Steve smiled indulgently at the genius, and stepped into his path. “I am curious where your shield tattoo is, though”

Tony stopped trying to sneak away, and jammed some food in his mouth to stall a bit. Steve was very good at that - using directness as a weapon. 

“What was that? C’mon, sit with me while you eat.”

Tony sat. It wasn’t that he had no defense against direct requests from Steve when he was this tired. It was just he missed talking to Steve. Just a moment of indulgence before going back to the grind.

“JARVIS, lights to 25%” said Tony as he sat on the couch in the darkened living room.

Steve watched him eat for a couple minutes, waiting to see if Tony would start talking. When silence was met with silence, he went again for the direct approach.

“I have it on good authority that you have a tattoo of my shield.. Wanna tell me about it?”

“I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours”

Steve blushes. 

“Tony, I don’t have a tattoo. Can’t, actually. But…”

“Steve, I know you’ve been all into this tattoo project of yours lately, and I’m sure its fascinating. I mean, there’s some amazing body art out there - I’ve seen a bunch of awesome Iron Man tattoos. I’ve thought of getting one myself. I also once considered having some of the senior scientists get the SI logo tattooed on them to make it more difficult for them to change jobs, but Pepper told me I couldn’t do that.”

Steve waits for Tony’s verbal spate to die out, then quietly asks “So, where is your tattoo?”

“Yeah, that. Its right here…” Tony stops, and spins his head to look Steve in the eye. “Very tricky, Captain. Well done.”

Steve grins. He doesn’t put one over on Tony very often.

Tony closes his eyes, and continues. “My tattoo, yes. Captain America’s Shield, thank you very much Thor and Natasha for spilling the beans, my tattoo is right here”. He points to a spot in the hollow of his right hip bone. Steve knows that spot. When Tony stands with his hands in his pockets, his right fingers hit that spot exactly. He’s sometimes seen Tony touching it absently, much like he used to do with the arc reactor.

“I got it while I was at MIT. I was seventeen, and a bratty seventeen. Rich, too smart for my own good, lonely. My parents had just died, and Obie was back here in New York taking care of SI. Even Rhodey had gotten tired of me there for a while. I spent weeks in a self-destructive, drunken haze - engineering then passing out. Rinse and Repeat. I was a lonely, mixed up mess.”

Steve winced. He never liked hearing about Tony’s low times, they make him want to punch something. Or pull Tony close and never let go. 

“When I emerged, I had made some great breakthroughs in artificial intelligence - the seed of what became JARVIS. And, I had a tattoo.

The engineering time never quite came back to me, but I remember the tattoo. You know, growing up, Captain America was my hero. He was the protector of the free world, amazing, honest, strong, everything good. And, pretty good looking.” With that, Tony glances up at Steve and winks.

“And, you know, Howard, well, he wasn’t, he was - “

Steve interruped. “Tony, I understand. He wasn’t a good father. I’m sorry.”

Tony sighed. “Thanks.” Tony looked down at his hands and took a deep breath.

He continued. “Even though I hated him sometimes, I still loved him, you know? He was my father. He died. And, my mom, and Jarvis died in the same crash. I was so lost, the world dropped away into the abyss around me. The only constant in my life to that point was Captain America. Howard talked about you, tried to find you. I used to read all the comics, even wrote to them telling them their science was bullshit.

“But, Captain America always meant safety. I wanted that. All I had was myself, and I wasn’t ever going to be good enough. But I could make myself be more. One night, I went out to this dingy little tattoo parlor in Boston. Paid a guy a ton of money to ignore my drunken state, and my lack of valid ID, and he tattooed your shield on my hip. Its where I could touch it, and have a connection to what Cap stood for. What you stood for, stand for. It got me through.”

Tony fell silent, and Steve sat with him, lost in memories.

Tony stood up, gave Steve a challenging look. “If you want to see it, you’ll have to come upstairs.” He sauntered to the elevator to the penthouse. 

Steve gaped after him, mouth gone dry. Movement suddenly seemed impossible as his eyes were glued to Tony’s hips. As Tony reached the elevator, he looked back over his shoulder. “Coming?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one more!


	6. Bucky - WWII

Bucky sat bolt upright in his sleep. “Stop! Don’t! NO!”

Steve crouched on the ground by Bucky’s cot and calmly talked to him. “Bucky. You’re safe. You’re in camp. You’re safe. I’m here, Bucky. Its Steve. No one’s going to hurt you here.”

Over and over Steve repeated the calming litany, until Bucky woke up. Drenched with sweat, he cradled his head in his hands and took several deep breaths.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Steve asked.

Bucky shook his head. “Not now, buddy. Still too raw.”

Steve rummaged in his locker, pulled out a dry shirt. “Here. You’ll sleep better dry.”

“Thanks”. 

Bucky stripped off his soaked shirt, and pulled on the dry. As he did, Steve caught a quick glimpse of black markings on his upper arm, sinuous markings that were not there before Bucky left for the front. A concerned look crossed his face, but he decided to not push. Yet.

 

\---------

Bucky and Steve stood at the rail, watching England come into sight. Something had shifted in Bucky when they left the mainland, easing him. For the first time, Bucky could almost breathe easily. He had come to find Steve, finally able to speak about the torture by HYDRA. He told Steve almost everything, but hadn’t brought up the markings on his arm. 

Steve steadfastly looked out over the water, watching the shore come into focus. Waiting. Finally, Steve broke the silence.

“So.”

Bucky stayed quiet a little longer. He opened his mouth, and nothing came out. He shook his head and roughly pulled open his shirt, and bared his left arm. Showed Steve how HYDRA had marked him . Inky almost-letters, too angular in one way, too round in another. 

“I don’t know what they mean. But, from time to time, I’d wake up with a new mark tattooed on my arm.”

Steve looked pained, and gingerly reached for the other man. “Bucky…”

Bucky jerked away, pulled his shirt back up. 

“Hey, Steve. I got out - you got me out. Lots of the other guys didn’t. A few marks are a small price to pay.”

Bucky knew Steve understood what he wasn’t saying. The marks were a physical remnant of the experience, reminding Bucky of the pain every time he caught sight of them, a trigger for his nightmares. Even though his body had healed, the markings were bleeding wounds on his psyche.

Steve pulled him into a rough hug. “Buck. Hey. What’s a few more marks on a Brooklyn guy? We really shoulda gotten out to Coney Island to getcha a tattoo before you shipped out.”

Bucky slumped into Steve’s side, letting Steve support him the same way Bucky had supported Steve in years past, before the Serum. When everything outward had changed, and nothing important had changed. These two boys from Brooklyn, still shoulder to shoulder against the world.

\-----

Steve was haunted by the marks on Bucky’s arm. While Bucky seemed to be sleeping better, Steve still caught the pained look in his eye when he took off shirt. There had to be something to do to help.

As usual, when he needed to work out his feelings, Steve sketched. He drew Bucky’s arm, and the markings over and over. Then, he started making designs around the marks. He drew the tattoos he had seen on other men in the Army. He added images from the USO tour, parts of the buildings he saw touring Europe. His Lady Liberty had a strong resemblance to Peggy. 

After Howard showed him his new shield, paint jobs for it briefly dominated, but ideas for new tattoos to camouflage Bucky’s marks soon started filling his sketchbook again.

Just before they returned to the mainland, Steve had a plan. He requested a brief leave for himself and Bucky. As they prepared to head out on the town, Steve shoved his sketchbook at Bucky.

“Pick a design.”

Bucky looked at him blankly.

Steve fixed him with a look, and repeated, “Pick a design. We’re going to get tattoos. Before we’re out in the field again we’re going to cover those marks.”

Bucky slowly paged through the book, thinking. He turned over the idea of changing the marks to something familiar. To something Steve designed. To something American. It was… it was good. Him and Steve, with the same tattoo. Branded for the world to see as blood brothers.

With more enthusiasm, Bucky looked through Steve’s drawings. Out of the elaborate flags, stars and stripes, and Lady Liberties Steve had drawn, a simple circle and star figure caught Bucky’s eye.

“This one”, Bucky stated, pointing at the final design for Captain America’s shield. “I like it.”

Steve’s grin broke through like the sun, and he grabbed Bucky by the hand and practically dragged Bucky to the tattoo parlor.

\----

As they stayed on the move, hunting down the HYDRA bases, Steve didn’t have a chance to look much at his tattoo, though the reality of his and Bucky’s matching tattoos was always at the back of his head. Occasionally, he’d glance at his upper arm and think the tattoo was looking a bit faded, but he chalked it up to the lack of proper sanitation and dim lighting. Not that they had much leisure time for him to worry about it, and there were other distractions.

He caught himself staring at Bucky’s arm, where Bucky’s tattoo was. He often saw Bucky touch it, draw courage from the circled star on his bicep. While he tried to be careful to not let Bucky realize how it affected him, seeing Bucky with that design on his arm made Steve feel more possessive than usual of the other man. Steve pushed those feelings down, and steadfastly thought of dancing with Peggy when the war was over. That was a safer topic to obsess over - not how good Bucky looked with Captain America’s - with **Steve’s** symbol on his arm. 

After a few weeks, though, Steve knew his tattoo was disappearing. He figured something just hadn’t taken properly with the tattoo at first. He tried having the tattoo touched up in Paris. When the fading continued, Steve realized the super soldier serum was removing the tattoo the same way it healed injuries. The rings went first, like his skin was being erased from the outside in. 

He kept it secret from Bucky - having matching tattoos as well as the design had mattered to his friend. Telling Bucky his was gone would make the change real in a way Steve wasn’t prepared to handle yet. Soon all he had was the faded outline of the star. 

Then Bucky was gone. Steve didn’t even have the tattoo as a talisman, a relic. He never hated Captain America as much as he did that night.

\-----

The next time Steve saw Bucky, a star was still on his left arm, the metal one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! This would have been the last chapter (as a 5+1), but Clint won't get out of the way. I had 2 ways Clint may have gotten a tattoo, picked one - but the other won't get out of my head. So, chapter 7 will be a Shield Marks AU - How Clint and Phil got tattooed.
> 
> UPDATE: I changed my mind again - the AU will be part of the series. Along with a couple other characters who have shown up in the 1796 Broadway series....


End file.
